Zachary Ruane and Alexei Toliopoulos on becoming David Stratton & Margaret Pomeranz for their comedy show Refused Classification

The Curb

Content provided by Andrew F Peirce and The Curb. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Andrew F Peirce and The Curb or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

2M ago 37:44

MP3•Episode home

For decades, David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz were Australian film reviewing royalty, having built up a loyal following with their weekly show on SBS, The Movie Show. The 90s and early 00s was the peak of David & Margaret’s influence over Australian audiences. What they recommended, people would head out and go and see.

Both David and Margaret are staunch supporters of cinema, becoming advocates for all kinds of cinema and decrying the impacts of censorship. While both have played roles in the way that film censorship in Australia has impacted what we see, it’s Margaret’s role with the notorious Larry Clarke film, Ken Park, which saw her make headlines after she put on an ‘illegal’ screening of the film after it received a ‘Refused Classification’ status, aka, the film being banned from Australia.

That pivotal moment in Australian film criticism history is what sits at the heart of Zachary Ruane and Alexei Toliopoulos’ comedy show Refused Classification, which is currently making its way around Australian comedy festivals, having recently played at the Adelaide Fringe, with shows to be held in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth on the horizon.

The show sees Zachary don a salt and pepper wig as David, while Alexei somehow manages to imbue himself with the spirit of Margaret Pomeranz with her trademark golden locks. Together, they retell this point in Aussie cinema history through the form of comedy show, documentary and verbatim theatre.

In the following interview, Zachary and Alexei talk about how the show came about, their experiences watching Ken Park, how Simon Miraudo’s brilliant Book of the Banned (buy it here) helped inform the show, and Alexei goes deep on his personal connection with the At the Movies board game.

I should add too, if you’re interested in reading the transcripts of David and Margaret’s work on both The Movie Show and At the Movies, then check out this Letterboxd account which has logged all of them over the years. And keep in mind that the shows are all available on SBS On Demand too, if you want that real nostalgia trip.

To keep up to date on where the show is playing, make sure to follow both Zachary and Alexei on Instagram.

We are a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and have the means to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to support our work from as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

320 episodes

#Cinema #Andrew Peirce #Curb #Interviews #Film Review #Film Interivews #Australian Culture #Australia #Independent Film #Australian Films